Biology and behavior are probably both at play, Klein said. “I don’t think we should ignore that,” she said. WATCH: Why is women’s sexual health so understudied?Īnother possible factor: Women are more likely than men to seek health care and often more attuned to changes in their bodies, Klein noted. Scientists also are studying whether women’s fluctuating hormone levels may increase the risks. Women’s bodies also tend to have more fat tissue and emerging research suggests the coronavirus may hide in fat after infection. Some scientists believe long COVID could result from an autoimmune response triggered by the virus. Women are also much more likely than men to have autoimmune diseases, where the body mistakenly attacks its own healthy cells. Women’s immune systems generally mount stronger reactions to viruses, bacteria, parasites and other germs, noted Sabra Klein, a Johns Hopkins professor who studies immunity. Many studies and anecdotal evidence suggest that women are more likely than men to develop long COVID. Here’s some of the latest evidence: Women more at risk? Evidence suggests most recover substantially within a year, but recent data show that it has contributed to more than 3,500 U.S. Millions of people worldwide have had long COVID, reporting various symptoms including fatigue, lung problems, and brain fog and other neurological symptoms. Nearly three years into the pandemic, scientists are still trying to figure out why some people get long COVID and why a small portion - including the three women - have lasting symptoms. WATCH: How millions of Americans suffering from long COVID can find support Amy Watson in Portland, Oregon, got inspiration in naming her Facebook support group from the trucker cap she’d been wearing, and “long hauler” soon became part of the pandemic lexicon. Elisa Perego in Italy first used the term “long COVID,” in a May tweet that year. Rachel Pope, of Liverpool, took to Twitter in late March 2020 to describe her bedeviling symptoms, then unnamed, after a coronavirus infection. Plagued by eerily similar symptoms, the three women are credited with describing, naming and helping bring long COVID into the public’s consciousness in early 2020. A British historian, an Italian archaeologist and an American preschool teacher have never met in person, but they share a prominent pandemic bond.
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